Two long-term care developments in the Kawarthas are among 29 projects in Ontario the provincial government has approved for new and upgraded long-term care beds.
At a media conference at The Ottawa Hospital on Friday (November 20), Ontario long-term care minister Merrilee Fullerton announced the government is moving forward with the 29 projects, which will lead to an additional 3,000 new and upgraded long-term care beds across the province.
“Protecting our loved ones and ensuring they receive the care they deserve is at the centre of everything we do,” Fullerton said. “With this announcement, our government is taking another step towards creating a 21st century long-term care sector that provides the highest quality of care for our most vulnerable people, where and when they need it.”
Riverview Manor in Peterborough has been approved for 32 new beds, in addition to 36 new beds announced last December, and the upgrade of 124 existing beds.
OMNI Health Care, which owns and operates the existing Riverview Manor on Water Street, had already been approved by Peterborough city council to construct a new 160-bed facility on Langton Street, adjacent to Fairhaven long-term care home. With the 32 new beds, the new facility will now have 192 beds.
“Our seniors deserve quality care in the communities they live in,” Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith said during a virtual media conference on Friday. “This is why today’s announcement of more new beds is so important. We are working to reduce wait times and meet the needs of our aging population now and in the future.”
Southbridge Port Hope has been approved for 35 new beds, and the upgrade of 157 existing beds, to create a 192-bed home on Ward Street in Port Hope. The development, which was approved by Port Hope council in September 2019, has been controversial as it includes the demolition of the building where Port Hope’s first hospital opened in 1913 — which Port Hope council had previously unanimously voted to designate as a heritage building.
Among the 29 new long-term care projects across Ontario, 19 — including Riverview Manor and Southbridge Port Hope — will include “campuses of care” where multiple services are provided for residents on the same site.
As of June 2020, more than 38,500 people in Ontario are on a waiting list to access a long-term care bed.
